School of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
J Clin Nurs. 2011 Aug;20(15-16):2135-43. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2011.03733.x. Epub 2011 Jun 8.
To examine the effectiveness of therapeutic play, using virtual reality computer games, in minimising anxiety and reducing depressive symptoms in Hong Kong Chinese children hospitalised with cancer.
There has been an increase in the use of therapeutic play intervention to help children cope with the stress of hospitalisation. However, it is not clear whether therapeutic play is an appropriate psychological intervention for Chinese children hospitalised with cancer.
A non-equivalent control group pretest-post-test, between-subject design was employed.
Hong Kong Chinese Children (8-16 years of age), admitted to a paediatric oncology ward for the treatment of cancer during a 14-month period, were invited to participate in the study. Of the 122 children, 70 formed the control group receiving routine nursing care and 52 in the experimental group receiving therapeutic play interventions.
The results showed that children in the experimental group reported statistically significant fewer depressive symptoms than children in the control group on day 7. The results, however, find no differences in children's anxiety scores between the two groups on day 7.
The study provides empirical evidence to support the effectiveness of therapeutic play, using virtual reality computer games, in the psychological preparation of children hospitalised with cancer, thus charting a path towards promoting holistic and quality care.
The findings heighten the awareness in healthcare professionals that play is a very important part of children's life and that they need play even when they are ill.
考察使用虚拟现实电脑游戏进行治疗性游戏对减少香港癌症住院儿童焦虑和抑郁症状的效果。
治疗性游戏干预已越来越多地用于帮助儿童应对住院压力，但尚不清楚治疗性游戏是否适合癌症住院的中国儿童。
采用非等效对照组前后测、组间设计。
邀请了在 14 个月期间因癌症入住儿科肿瘤病房的香港中国儿童（8-16 岁）参与研究。在 122 名儿童中，有 70 名儿童组成对照组，接受常规护理，52 名儿童组成实验组，接受治疗性游戏干预。
结果显示，实验组儿童在第 7 天报告的抑郁症状明显少于对照组儿童。然而，两组儿童的焦虑评分在第 7 天没有差异。
本研究为治疗性游戏（使用虚拟现实电脑游戏）在癌症住院儿童的心理准备中的有效性提供了实证证据，为促进整体和优质护理开辟了道路。
研究结果使医护人员更加意识到游戏是儿童生活的重要组成部分，即使在生病时，他们也需要游戏。
